Dangerous Bunny!
One of the nice
things about living in this part of the world is the lack of truly dangerous
wild animals. For someone who enjoys photographing wildlife, the lack of
species that will gnaw off major body parts is very encouraging.
Of course, one
can’t say there are no dangers when stomping through one of Iowa’s picturesque
state parks.
There are a few,
very rare, poisonous snakes in Iowa, particularly in the East Central part of
the state. Among these are the timber rattle snake, possibly found in
rocky outcroppings.
Should you be
worried? They are so rare that if you see one the Iowa Department of
Natural Resources would like you to give them a call. You can even call
collect. And the last reported fatal timber rattle snake
bite in Iowa was in the 1880’s.
There is also the
occasional black bear that wanders into the wooded areas of Northeast
Iowa. Most of these are young adults, new to their manhood. They’ve
been chased away by the more mature males, and are in search of a female to
start their own family. Think of them as a nerdy sophomore who has been
chased away by the football captain.
For other large
mammals there is always the ever present danger of stepping in their, ah,
leavings. While slipping and falling is never a pleasant thought, the
idea of slipping on a pile of deer scat adds an extra dimension of
humiliation. Bambi’s revenge, indeed.
The avian variety
of this particular danger is one that threatens city and country folk
alike. Many a promising career has been cut short when one of our fine
feathered friends left his mark on an otherwise dapper business suit.
Even pigeon poop on an old t-shirt, or worse on one’s freshly washed
noggin, can certainly ruin your day.
And certainly
there should be no need to caution you: when walking through the forest
primeval, full of singing birds in the trees, look up, but keep your mouth
shut.
Now, I’m sure
there are some of you who would include the occasional stray dog on this list
of dangerous fauna. Perhaps the issue with the odd canine culprit is not
the poor animal, but it’s owner. If the puppy is growling, barking,
bearing it’s teeth, or biting your shin then perhaps that is it’s natural
response due to poor treatment by it’s owner. At the very least a dog
owner needs to be aware of the tendencies of his charge, and take the needed
precautions to protect not only his dependent, but the public at large.
Sometimes it
seems that even the flora are out to inflict severe bodily harm. And that
is not limited to eating a poisonous berry, or overly ripe strawberry!
The Honey Locust tree sports thorns (spikes) that can be 2 to 8 inches in
length. On more than one occasion I’ve grabbed onto the trunk of a tree
to steady myself only to have my hand skewered by one of these monsters.
Is wildlife
dangerous? Of course, it can be. Most of the residents of the
forests and prairies will run away whenever human beings appear. We are
arguably the scariest animal around.
But if you manage
to pick up a squirrel or a snake, or try to pet a dog you don’t know, or corner
a young buck in the forest, you will get hurt.
Try to keep
things in perspective. In the United States in an average year people are
killed by:
bee/wasp stings –
53
bulls - 3
sharks – 1
alligators - 0.3
auto collision
with deer - 200
food poisoing –
3,000
Want to keep
safe? Cook your food fully, drive carefully.
And don’t pet the
wildlife.
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